Of All The Gin Joints In The World
by Bookwormjenny
Summary: In which Reyna has an epiphany at Annabeth's Hen Party involving her feelings about a certain Leo Valdez. Leyna One-Shot.


**Hello World!**

 **Jenny here again with another Leyna fic because who doesn't love Leyna? Transition Year has just started and I'm going to be doing a correspondence course in writing so hopefully that means more time for Fanfiction!**

 **I apologize in advance for my bad writing skills.**

 **P.S. In Ireland we call Bachelorette and Bachelor parties Hen and Stag nights. I'm not quite sure if in other countries you call them that so if you're confused, they're the same things.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson or heroes of Olympus.**

Reyna wasn't quite sure how she ended up dancing on a bar table to Single Ladies at Annabeth Chase's hen party.

Maybe it was the three vodka shots she'd taken with Hazel, or maybe it was Piper's charm speak. Either way, she was acting very un-Praetorish.

She laughed as Rachel Dare clambered up on to the table with her, the other girls in pink feather boas and glittery masks dancing around them. The atmosphere was electric, as they all screamed the lyrics at the top of the voices.

"Ladies, can you please get off the table. I've asked you twice already, and I'll get in trouble with the boss if one of you falls!"

They all groaned at the disgruntled bar tender, who had a stern expression on his face, arms crossed like he meant business.

Drew stumbled over to him on her six inch heels and threw an arm around the rosy cheeked blonde. "Oh come on Pollux! Mr D won't mind! Besides, I'm having fun babe!"

She giggled as he tried to look cross, but was failing miserably, much to the delight of the girls. She leant over and whispered something in his ear, to which his cheeks turned ever redder. "Right, but if Dad shows up, I'm blaming you."

They cheered as he returned to behind the bar, shaking his head smiling. Reyna got down from the table to much dismay from her fellow revellers. Smiling, she collapsed onto a bar stool beside Annabeth.

"Some crowd, eh?" Annabeth smirked, and Reyna ran a hand through her now ruffled braid, laughing lightly.

"Who knew Annabeth Chase's hen party would be this wild?" The bride-to-be laughs, waving at Pollux to bring them two drinks. "Oh, it's all Piper. She organised the whole thing. For your own benefit, don't let her plan your hen party."

Reyna turned to look at the daughter of Aphrodite, who was currently in the middle of a mosh pit that had not been there the last time Reyna checked.

They were both laughing at Piper's terrible moshing to, of all things, Dancing Queen by Abba when Reyna feels a light tap on her shoulder. Her eyebrows rose when she found a tall well-dressed man leaning up against the bar, smirking.

"Can I help you?" she asked; disdain leaking into her voice as she put up her Ice-Queen façade. He laughs. "Well, I couldn't help but notice you dancing a few minutes ago, and I was wondering if I could buy you a drink?"

Reyna glanced over him, surveying him from head to toe. This tactic usually worked on most men, reducing them in nervous wrecks in seconds. This one seemed unperturbed. She turned her steely gaze to his eyes instead, and she saw a flash of nerves in the hazel orbs.

"And what makes you think you can even talk to me?" This time he visibly gulps, loosening his collar slightly. His eyes flicker behind her, where Annabeth was no doubt giving him what Percy liked to call 'the Athena stare'.

"Well, I-I-I…"

"I-I-I think it's time for you to go now, don't you?"

He nodded, and practically fled, leaving Reyna smirking to herself.

"Being the longest serving Praetor of New Rome gives you some pretty good intimidation skills."

She turns, expecting to see Annabeth smirking too; instead, she just receives the Athena stare.

"Rey, you can't keep rejecting every guy who asks you out!"

Reyna rolled her eyes at the blonde, a feat not many could get away with.

"I don't reject every guy that asks me out! Remember, I went out with that guy in the first legion!"

Annabeth scoffed. "Yeah, for one date to make someone jealous. You probably don't even remember his name!"

"Sure I do. I know all my legionnaires. His name was Robert…No, wait, it was Richard!"

"Actually, it was Riley."

Reyna huffed. Curse Annabeth's photographic memory. "Well, I have a lot of legionnaires to keep track of."

"Reyna, you need to stop this. Either confess your feelings or get over them!"

She sipped her drink angrily. "I don't have any feelings for anyone, so I have no idea what you're talking about."

Annabeth slammed her drink onto the counter, making the other patrons of the bar jump. "Athena help me Reyna, you think I can't tell? You think we don't all know that you're head or heels for Le-"

"Don't!" Reyna cut her off, "Don't say his name!"

The blonde stared her defiantly in the eye. "Leo. There! I said it! Leo Valdez! You are madly in love with Leo Valdez and you won't even admit it!"

Reyna slammed her drink down too, sloshing half of it out of the glass. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes I do. It's time you womaned up and stop denying it! You have loved Leo Valdez ever since he returned from Ogygia with Calypso, probably even before! Don't you think I haven't noticed the way you look at him when you think no one's looking? Do you think I don't see the way your face lights up whenever he's around, or whenever he's mentioned! What about the jealous looks in your eyes whenever Calypso is mentioned? Look, even now your eyes have gone all dark and you're scowling! You might be able to build your walls up around strangers, but you can't keep them up around us, and you especially can't keep them up around Leo Valdez."

Annabeth's grey eyes seemed to penetrate deep into her soul, her words echoing through her ears. She suddenly felt very sober.

Taking a shaky breath, she grabbed her drink and muttered quietly, "Look, I don't have any feelings for Leo. Now can we just leave it?"

She took a sip, while Annabeth just shrugged. "Well, I guess you won't care that he broke up with Calypso."

The Roman spat out her drink while Annabeth just sipped her drink nonchalantly. She coughed, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "WHAT?"

The Greek nodded. "Yep. Apparently, he told her he loved someone else. Jason has been pestering him for the past week about it, and he's convinced that he left Calypso for you."

Reyna shook her head in disbelief. This couldn't be happening. I mean, sure, they may or may not have kissed before going into battle with Gaia but she had always thought it was a spur of the moment thing for Leo. Kiss someone to not be left out. To not be the seventh wheel again.

It's not like Reyna had spent the last three years replaying the kiss in her head. It's not like last thought in her head at night was the burning sensation his lips left on hers, or way his rough, calloused hands had cupped her face gently, despite the roar of dying demigods around them. She hadn't memorised the way he had called her his queen or the way he had looked at her before clambering onto Festus.

He had looked at her like she was the only thing that mattered in the world.

The only thing that mattered to him.

It's not like she spent those months when he was missing constantly thinking she saw his face in large crowds. It's not like she had secretly sent her finest legionnaires to search the far corners of the earth for him, despite every else resigning to the fact that he was gone.

She could never believe that he was gone.

It's not like she spent the whole feast dedicated to him when he returned from the dead, the beautiful Calypso on his arm, crying in the bathroom. It's not like she had felt her heart breaking all over again, despite his long awaited return.

It's not like she had loved him unrequitedly for the past three years.

"Rey," Annabeth's soft voice broke through her reverie, "I think he's always been in love with you. But you can't spend another three years like this. You need closure, once and for all."

The dark haired woman nodded, while her friend rubbed her back soothingly. "He's at Percy's stag night, you know. It's at that fancy sports bar place on Thirty Fifth Street. Go. Find him."

Reyna looked at her surprised. "I thought you weren't meant to know where the other party was?" Annabeth just laughed. "Do you really think Percy can hide anything from me? I knew where it was before he did. Now go!"

Reyna smiled at her friend, before grabbing her purse (with contained a dagger in case of monster attacks) and running towards the door.

"Hey, where's Reyna going?" she vaguely heard Piper complain to Annabeth.

"She's going to confess her love to Leo!" Annabeth shouted back and Reyna laughed at the cheers of the girls. Her friends.

Reyna hailed a taxi, and quickly told the driver; a bulky, cheerful man where she wanted to go. The closer they got, the more nervous Reyna felt. Usually she was good at hiding it, but the driver seemed to realise something was wrong.

"Penny for your thoughts?" He looked into his mirror at her as they waited in traffic. She sighed, wringing her hands together, a nervous tick she could usually hide. She didn't usually tell random strangers her problems, but something about him seemed to make her trust him.

"I think I may be in love with this guy," she started and the man chuckled, hazel eyes sparkling. "Young love, eh?"

She sighed. "Perhaps, but I'm not sure if he returns my feelings. My friend, Annabeth, convinced me to tell him how I feel, but now, I'm really regretting it."

The man stared thoughtfully at the traffic ahead of him. "Do you think he will make you happy?"

Reyna stared out the window, watching as the first drops of rain slid slowly down the glass. "Yes," she turned to look at the driver, "Yes, I know he will. He's one of the only people I know who doesn't fear me, or is intimidated by me. He never fails to make me laugh, despite how stupid his jokes are. He makes me feel like I'm the only person in the world. Like I matter more than just a pawn in the gods, I mean, God's plan. Leo is, well, he's Leo. He's like no one else on this earth, and I've been hopelessly in love with him for the past three years."

The man looked at her, hazel brown eyes hauntingly familiar, tapping his fingers unconsciously against the steering wheel.

"I'm not good with feelings. My wife is the one who is a hopeless romantic. She's always trying to match make and what not. The only thing I'm good at is machines. They're a lot easier to understand than people. The one thing I do know is, that this Leo sounds like a good boy. I think if he makes you happy, then you should go after him."

Reyna smiled as they pulled up to the pub. She passed the money to the man, and got out of the car into the rain. "Good luck Reyna!" the man says, before driving off. She stared at the now far off car. "I don't remember telling him my name," she muttered to herself before turning sharply towards the bar and right into a tall, muscled body.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't see y….Leo?"

"Reyna?"

She stares up into his deep hazel eyes. Leo Valdez was very different from the scrawny teenager she once knew. Sure, he still had his elfish features, cheeky smile and wild curly hair, but he was now as tall as Percy or Jason, and as muscled as any Hephaestus kid.

"Reyna, what are you doing out in the rain? Shouldn't you be at Annabeth's hen?"

He shrugged off his jacket, wrapping it around her shoulders. In her hurry to leave, she had forgotten to grab her coat, and was now in just a tight purple dress that Hazel had forced her into, in the currently lashing rain.

"I was coming to find you! Shouldn't you be inside with the others?"

His trademark grin spread across his features.

"Reina, I was coming to find you!"

Her heart skipped a beat at the way he called her Queen.

Just like what he had called her before riding off into battle and disappearing for five months.

"Leo, I-"

"Reyna, I love you," he cut her off before she could say anything else.

Even the strict Roman Praetor couldn't contain the smile that spread across her face.

"Rey, I have been in love with you ever since I first saw you, and you nearly killed me when I accidently blew up your city. I love your laugh, rare as it is. I love your strange addiction to jelly beans and hot chocolate. I love the way you make me nearly burst into flames whenever you smile at me like that. Hell, I'm pretty sure my hair is smoking a bit at the minute. Reyna, I love you so much it fucking hurts. Every minute I'm not with you feels wasted. I only went to get Calypso because she deserved to be free, and I had promised. Surely you as a Roman can understand that?"

Reyna nodded, rain streaming down her face. Responsibility, duty and honour are what the Romans valued above all.

"After we got back, everyone seemed to think we were a couple, and you looked like you hated me and you were dating that prick Richard or Robert or whatever his name was, so I went along with it. I thought you'd want nothing to do with me, and I guess, I got caught up in lies because I'm stupid, and you deserve so much more but, Rey please. I may have stupid jokes and annoy the hades out of you but if you give me a chance, I will love you with all of my heart, and I will never let go and-"

"Leo! I love you too but if you keep rambling like this I might change my mind!"

He laughed nervously, fingers twiddling with his nerves and ADHD. "Please tell me that you're joking Rey."

She laughed, looping her arms around his neck, drawing him closer. "Of course I am Valdez. I don't stand in the rain for just anyone."

His lips come crashing onto hers, and Reyna swears she is flying. Fireworks are exploding in her stomach, and her heart is racing so fast she thinks she might be having a heart attack. She swears she hears a growl from Leo as he draws her closer until she is pressed flush against him, still kissing furiously. The rain poured on top of them but neither noticed, too intoxicated with each other. She feels his tongue glide along her bottom lip and she eagerly lets him in. All coherent thoughts have left her mind and currently all she think about is Leo and his lips and holy Zeus, that thing he is doing with his tongue and-

"WHOO! FINALLY! LEYNA FOR LIFE!"

They break apart to find the entirety of Percy's Stag party cheering and roaring similar shouts. Reyna laughs, and blushes, embarrassed at getting caught, but really, what was she thinking making out with Leo in the middle of the street? Then again, Leo never failed to make her feel like doing reckless things.

He smiles down lovingly at her, and for once in her life, Reyna feels unbelievably safe, just standing there with his arms wrapped around her.

"Hey, ReyRey. Do you think this could be the beginning of a wonderful relationship?"

She smirks.

"Well, maybe if you don't call me ReyRey."

He gently gives her an Eskimo kiss, nuzzling his nose against hers.

"Well, now I'm definitely calling you ReyRey!"

"Just remember Valdez. Of all men in all the gin joints in the world, I chose you."

 _ **The End**_

 **Whoo! Who doesn't love Leyna and Casablanca quotes?**

 **It would really mean a lot to me if you could review, as it really makes my day when I see a new review.**

 **Also, tell me who you think the mysterious taxi driver was. I'd like to see if anyone gets it right.**

 **Thank you all so so so much.**

 **Until next time, my dears**

 **Jenny xxxx**


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